Websites of the month

It’s late in the afternoon, the end of your work day is in sight and time is crawling by at dial-up speed. For those about to slack then, we salute you. We also detail some cracking sites that should make the wait more bearable...

www.bored.com|~|Bored.com---m.jpg|~||~|Bored.com is simply a site that’s, well, full to the brim of sites. “Links to the most interesting sites on the internet,” it boasts, but does it live up to its slogan? It sure does, as there’s really is something for everyone here. The homepage alone has over 200 links to “the most interesting” sites ever found, and all without typing ‘Fun sites’ or ‘I’m bored’ into Google. A good example of a listed OxymoronList.com. It is what it says it is: a huge list of oxymorons - sad yes, but immensely entertaining! ||**||www.darwinawards.com|~|Darwin---m.jpg|~||~|This site is packed full of 'strange but true' facts, which anyone can view for a good laugh. Some really good reads to look into are ‘surprise attack surprise’, ‘chimney cleaning grenade’ and ‘plug me in’; very good stories and all located on the first page of the site. Most of the accounts you can view on the home page relate to the 2005 Darwin awards, but you can view all the previous years’ entries too. Some good 2004 offerings include ‘White Russians; and ‘Kill bugs dead’. ||**||www.ebaumsworld.com|~|eBaum---m.jpg|~||~|This site offers thousands of movie clips that cover everything from stand up comedy to flash animation; two examples of these are Jingle Bells (featuring a hilarious subliminal message) and End Of The World (a very strange but possible way to finish off the Earth). With its hilarious content and wacky titles you'll be laughing off the bat. Although we don’t advise this site for kids, for liberal-minded adults it should fill those dragging minutes with ease. In addition to clips, you’ll find plenty of quizzes in the Games area.||**||www.killsometime.com|~|Kill-some-time---m.jpg|~||~|If you’re of a sensitive disposition and videos of people doing unimaginably painful things to themselves (and others) don't appeal, then keep clicking ‘cos much of this site might make you queasy. For the rest of you sick puppies, surf this way. Here you'll find pictures, flash movies - including a series of videos featuring one very windy preacher - and pictures too. It also has many links to other sites, such as Ebaumsworld. A lot of the content is video based, so a broadband connection is essential. ||**||www.firefox.com|~|Stumble---m.jpg|~||~|If you get bored of surfing by the same old sites and don’t mind being persuaded away from using Internet Explorer to browse the web, then this Firefox toolbar by StumbleUpon has your name on it. With this, you can literally stumble round the net discovering all kinds of new sites. Those pages you're presented with are based upon a profile that you set-up when you initially sign in. Sounds dull to some, maybe, but it’s actually very addictive and adds a whole new dimension to surfing. ||**||www.theonion.com|~|The-onion---m.jpg|~||~|Despite the site's cheesy name, you can still have plenty of laughs here. You don't even have click through pages, as the homepage itself has most to offer. The content may be skewed largely towards the US and its politics, but if you keep up-to-date with international news, you’ll get most of it. Key descriptive words here are: sardonic, tongue-in-cheek and cutting. Recent headlines include for instance: ‘New methods of capital punishment’ and ‘World’s most advanced yo-yo doesn't need you”. Nonsense yes, but funny also. Updated daily plus e-newsletters are available.||**||www.miniclip.com|~|Miniclip---m.jpg|~||~|Have you ever sat there, idling around the internet, and said to yourself, “What is there to do?” If you have, this website is the one for you. You see it packs in numerous games that will keep you entertained for hours. All the games here are free too. New titles are added monthly covering a range of categories that includes Sport, Multiplayer, Action & Adventure, Shoot-em Up, Puzzle and Learning games. Adult or child - if you’re bored then this site needs popping on your favourites list quicksmart. ||**||www.mrpicassohead.com|~|Mr-Picasso-head---m.jpg|~||~|And finally... for something really silly. You are the artist and thanks to Picasso’s ‘interesting’ approach to master works, if you have less pure artistic ability in your bones than Posh Spice, it doesn’t matter a jot; your creation will still look equally weird no matter how good (or not) you are. Stretch, colour, and overlay a range of iconic shapes to create diverse portraits in an abstract style. You can even view the gallery of contributions from other bored netizens. It’s sad really, but will pass the time nevertheless. ||**||